HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



23^ 



tices, or salves, with the common name of each and 

 of the ailment for which it is used," produced the 

 following collection : — Foxglove, robiny (locally 

 black bryony), figwort, watercress, hart's-tongue, 

 red campion, sloe, elder, eyebright, chickweed, 

 mint, wortleberry, hop, wallsrue, woodsage, yarrow, 

 St. John's wort, pimpernel, knobgrass, birdsfoot 

 trefoil, oak polypody, centaury, featherfew, dande- 

 lion, house-leek, agrimony, mosses, nightshade, 

 nettle, blue-bottle or cornflower (devil's bit), herb- 

 Robert, meadow-sweet, groundsel, furze, mallow, 

 balm, broom, cleavers, water-alder, arssmart, persi- 

 caria, burdock, woundwort, knapweed, plantain, 

 camomile, daisy. — W. B. B., Cotford, near Sidmouth. 



Living Leaves. — In Miss Weppner's account of 

 her visit to Java (" The North Star and the South- 

 ern Cross") the following passage occurs:— "One 

 day Dr. Scheffer took me to the residence of 

 Madame Theissen, a very celebrated gardener. In 

 her garden I first saw the so-called ' living leaves,' 

 which are no doubt the most interesting plants in 

 creation, and which I have seen but once on my 

 journey. They consisted of beautiful green shrubs 

 in large flowerpots, the branches and leaves of 

 which were all little insects which had emerged 

 from the eggs of the plant. WhenUhe insect is 

 still, it. looks like a well-formed green leaf on a little 

 branch ; but when it moves about, the leaf forms 

 the body of an insect, and leaf and stalk, in the 

 form of an insect, hops away upon the branch. 

 When the insect settles down again, it once more 

 becomes a leaf and stalk, and when seen motionless 

 has not the least appearance of a living insect. 

 Mrs. T. told me how she brought up her little plants, 

 and honoured me by giving me a few leaves and 

 branches of these wonderful creatures, preserved in 

 spirits of wine. She held the small green branch 

 with the leaves above the neck of a bottle, into 

 which they swarmed briskly enough ; but they were 

 followed by the spirits of wine, and all the living 

 branches and leaves died. Madame Theissen also 

 put in a handful of the little eggs, from which 

 spring the living leaves, and the development of 

 which forms the transition from the vegetable to 

 the animal kingdom." I suppose the so-called 

 leaf or stick insect is herej described; but possibly 

 some of your readers may be able to throw some 

 light upon this curious description. At any rate 

 the fact of their being thus grown (?) in flowerpots 

 seems worth chronicling in the pages of Science- 

 Gossip.— .fl. H. Nisbett Browne. 



The Puss-moth Caterpillar and its Syringe. 

 — That this caterpillar can eject from a rosy slit 

 beneath the chin a pungent liquid of an acid nature 

 is] now recognized as a fact, though at one time 

 some entomologists questioned it. One is not pre- 

 pared to say that the insect is furnished with this 

 special protective function so that it may ward off 

 intrusive entomologists, yet it must be intended to 

 keep some enemy at a distance. The common 

 notion is, I believe, that by this means the cater- 

 pillar drives away (with more or less success) ich- 

 neumons of the hymenopterous order. But I find 

 that, probably from its showy colours and its mode 

 of parading itself, the caterpillar of the Puss-moth 

 (D. vinula) is frequently picked up by birds, especi- 

 ally when about half-grown. Hence, nature may 

 have furnished it, as it approaches maturity, with 

 the means of ejecting this fluid, so that any bird 

 flying up with the intent of carrying it away may be 

 deterred thereby. It is a fact that the caterpillar 



has sufficient muscular force to propel the fluid 2 or 

 3 ft. through the air. I cannot see that in the case 

 of insect foes the fluid would help the caterpillar, 

 though possibly with these the threatening anal 

 appendages are of utility. And it is remarkable 

 that when in confinement this caterpillar ceases to 

 exercise the power of ejection; if it is annoyed 

 or irritated, the mouth of the orifice will be briskly 

 agitated, but no liquid proceeds from it. As far as 

 my observations go, it is only after the last change 

 of skin that the Puss-moth caterpillar acquires this 

 peculiar apparatus. — J. H. S. C. 



Animal v. Vegetable Life. — In your August 

 No., under the above heading, you state that a 

 friend wishes to destroy some horse-leeches, but not 

 her water-lilies, both in the same fountain. Advise 

 her to buy a flask of sweet oil, which both animal 

 and vegetable life would enjoy; the leeches will 

 satiate on it till thev burst, and it will not harm any 

 living plant— W. F. Bell. 



Lathrea squamaria. — In the August No. you 

 ask the habitat of Lathrea squamaria. I beg to 

 inform you it grows in the neighbourhood of Neath, 

 and when it is in flower, only in the middle of April, 

 I can procure it in abundance. — W. F. Bell. 



Brown Beetles.— If "W. L. M." will try 

 parings from the rind of cucumber, I think he will 

 find it effective in destroying the " brown beetles" he 

 complains of. It appears to poison them. — F. E. F. 



Birds and Elowers. — Referring to E. 

 Edwards's note in the September No. of Science- 

 Gossip under this head, allow me to state, that I 

 have for several years noticed the ravages made 

 by the "house-sparrow" on the blossom of cro- 

 cuses. The birds appear to me to have a partiality 

 for the yellow flowers. I have always thought that 

 they were attracted by the saffron contained in the 

 blossom. Those I have observed have generally 

 eaten most of the petals. — F. E. F. 



Microscopy. — Will any reader of Science 

 Gossip oblige me with a small list of seeds which 

 make good opaque objects ? I shall also be obliged 

 if any one can tell me of a varnish that will keep 

 glycerine in a cell ; as I have tried damar, gold size, 

 &c, without success. — F. E. Fletcher. 



Death of Hedgehogs. — I notice in the July No. 

 " T. H. A." mentions two cases of hedgehogs which 

 he had bought falling asleep shortly after he had 

 brought them home and dying within a few days. 

 I once had the very same thing happen to a squirrel 

 which I had bought in the streets of London. It 

 was quietly sitting upon the man's hand, and he 

 assured me that it was perfectly tame. It fell into 

 a stupor shortly after I got it home, aud died within 

 three days. 1 was at the time told by a friend that 

 it is a not uncommon practice to give a small dose 

 of arsenic, which will render the little creatures 

 senseless, or as the men call if, " perfectly tame,'' at 

 first, but is sure to prove fatal in a short time, 

 according to the strength of the dose. I do not see 

 how it could serve the purpose of an established 

 bird-fancier who has a reputation at stake to prac- 

 tise this cruel trick, nor can I imagine why hedge- 

 hogs, which are so quiet in habit, shoubld be sub- 

 jected to such treatment. Yet this seems to me 

 the most likely cause of the two deaths which 

 " T. H. A." mentions. Since purchasing my squir- 

 rel I have several times seen men in Cheapside 



